If you have land available, you can grow wheat for your own consumption or for commercial purposes. This article will tell you what you need to do to grow this cultivated cereal at home.
What conditions are necessary for growing wheat
In order to get a good wheat crop, it is necessary to provide optimal conditions for this - a certain level of humidity, lighting and temperature conditions. You should also take into account local climatic conditions, and choose the right site for landing.
Quality watering
For good germination and further development of seeds, wheat plants should be provided with the necessary moisture level. It should be noted that hard grades of water need more because of the higher protein content in the grain. This plant crop is especially in need of watering during the transition of sprouts to the tube and during the formation of ears. Recommended soil moisture should be at 65%.
Lighting
To obtain full-fledged seedlings of wheat and their normal development, it is necessary to provide plants with constant sunlight. The light should fall evenly, so the landing should not be thickened much. If the area is shaded, the ears will form small. In this case, a good harvest is not worth the wait.
Temperature
The optimal temperature regime for this cereal crop is in the range from + 18 ° С to + 24 ° С. It should be noted that spring wheat varieties are able to germinate even at + 3 ° С. But winter varietal culture does not lose the ability for subsequent germination at -17 ° C. The presence of snow helps to tolerate frosts down to -25 ° C. The described plant does not tolerate temperatures well above + 35 ° C. Therefore, when establishing a strong heat, it especially needs watering.
Preparatory work
To obtain a rich wheat crop, it is important to choose and purchase seed material. Seeds of good quality and of a variety that are regionalized to climate conditions and soils of further cultivation should be purchased. Then pre-plant preparation of the grain material should be carried out. Before sowing, the site must be prepared for the selected wheat variety.
Seed selection
To get a good grain grinding, you need to take care of high-quality planting material. As mentioned above, it is best to purchase zoned varieties.
You should also decide which wheat you want to plant:
- Spring or winter. The latter gives more yield, better tolerates difficult weather conditions, but is demanding on soil. Spring is resistant to drought, and gives grain with the best baking qualities.
- Soft or hard. Soft varieties go mainly to flour. Hard are only among spring wheat.
Did you know? The leader in wheat production is China. In 2017, 134.3 million tons of grain was harvested in the country. Russia ranked third (85.9 million tons).
You need to purchase seeds in agricultural stores and choose the brand of the manufacturer who has established himself in the market. To make sure that the planting material is of high quality, you can put a handful of grains in a glass of water. If up to 2% of the seeds floated to the surface of the liquid, then the quality is good, and if more - bad. The proper quality of the grains will be indicated by their uniform size and shape, the absence of impurities, damage and the smell of rot.
To be safe, you can sow several varieties and pay attention in the future to those plants that are best manifested in specific cultivation conditions.
Preparation of soil and planting material
Planting stock should be processed for disease prevention. Small amounts of grain can be pickled in the following ways:
- Heat treatedsoak in containers with water heated to + 50 ° C, and cover with a lid. After 25 minutes, the cereal is taken out and immediately cooled - a few minutes in cold running water.
- Potassium permanganate potassium permanganate (10 g / 1 l of water). It holds the seed for 20 minutes, and then washed well.
With significant amounts of seed, you can use the following tools:
- Fungicides "Raksil", "Vincit", "Dividend". These are effective chemicals, but not the most environmentally friendly. They do not always make sense at home.
- Organic Fertilizer Solution - increase the immunity of plants, and will contribute to a higher crop. It is good to use Yaros or Gumisol. They contain not only nutrients, but also beneficial bacteria.
- Rodenticides - remedies against rodents, which can significantly damage crops.
The land should be prepared for sowing. It is leveled, loosened to provide the aeration necessary for seed germination.
Fertilizers are also recommended:
- In winter, phosphate-potassium fertilizers are introduced (before sowing) so that the plants can survive the winter. If necessary, enrich the soil with organic matter.
- For spring varieties, organic top dressing is embedded in the soil. Mineral salts are introduced after emergence.
Step-by-step instructions for growing in the ground
After preparation, you can start sowing. This operation should also be carried out correctly, taking into account the variety of wheat and local climatic conditions. The agricultural technology of winter and spring wheat is noticeably different from each other.
Sowing rules
Spring wheat should be planted in early spring. In the southern regions, sowing is allowed at the end of February. This type of cereal is not very bushy, therefore, sowing is carried out with sufficient density. For a forest-steppe, 5–6 million seeds are left per 1 hectare of the plot, and for steppe plots - 4–5 million seeds. With nutrient soil, the norm can be reduced by 10-12%, and on scarce soils - increased by 15%.
The recommended depth of embedding grain into the ground is 3-4 cm. If there is a lack of moisture, this parameter is increased to 7-8 cm. In the latter case, planting material will not emerge at the same time.
There are several ways to sow and grow winter varieties:
- Narrow row. In this case, between the rows observe a gap of 7-8 cm.
- Cross. Withstand an interval of up to 15 cm.
Planting with these methods allows you to distribute the seeds evenly and with the desired density.
Important! Delayed early sowing for durum wheat can significantly reduce yields.
Care
It is necessary to organize timely care for wheat crops, namely:
- After planting the seed, roll. This procedure will allow the seedlings to appear evenly.
- Then should be harrowing. This is necessary so that a dense crust does not form on the ground after heavy rains.
- To feed. For seedlings, phosphorus fertilizers are important. During tillering, nitrogen-containing compounds and sulfur must be added. When entering the tube, complex fertilizers with nitrogen are needed.
- Remove weed grass. For this purpose, you can use special herbicides.
Harvesting and storage
Harvesting is carried out by a combine. If ripening occurs evenly, then the direct combining method is used, combining the harvest with threshing. With an unevenly ripening crop, a separate method is used. First, mow the wheat, and grind after 2-3 days. Then the grain is sent to the store.
Before bookmarking the storage location, it undergoes the following processing:
- cleared of litter;
- calibrated;
- it is dried up to indicators of humidity in 14%;
- disinfected.
Did you know? As a result of long-term selection, cultivated wheat has lost the ability to reproduce without human intervention. Once in the wild, it practically does not spread across the area.
Etching is done against diseases, insects and rodents. The storage location should have constant ventilation, air humidity - about 65–70%, and temperature - at the level of + 5 ... + 8 ° С. Periodically, the grain will need to be mixed.
Pest and Disease Control
Crops should be inspected for the presence of diseases and insect pests. When fungal diseases are detected, fungicides are used (for example, “Fundazole”). For the destruction of pests, appropriate insecticides are used. Against harmful insects, the drug BI 58 is effective.
To prevent the appearance of specific ailments and pests, crop rotation should be observed, seed treatment and deep plowing of the soil should be done.
How to grow wheat on a windowsill
At home on the windowsill, you can grow wheat to get sprouts. This product brings great benefits to the human body due to the high content of vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, amino acids and plant enzymes.
First, the cereal is germinated. To do this, the required amount of grain is washed, and placed in clean, cool water. Three parts of the liquid should be taken on one part of the seeds. The water tank is closed with a lid, and left for 10 hours. Then the water is drained and clean again, leaving for another 10 hours. This procedure is repeated at least three times. At the end of the last cycle, the seeds should begin to hatch at the seeds. Germinated wheat grains can already be eaten. Such instances are also recommended for use for planting. For a capacity of 40 × 40 cm, approximately 2 cups of grains are needed.
The sowing rules are as follows:
- Take a suitable container (with holes), and place a layer of paper towels on its bottom. This is necessary so that the roots of the seedlings do not grow through the holes (to drain excess fluid) in the bottom.
- 5 cm thick nutrient soil is poured into the container.
- Grains are laid out on the prepared soil in a uniform layer, slightly pressing the grains into the soil.
- Humidify the earth with spray water.
Plantings protect from direct rays, and periodically sprayed with water, preventing the soil from drying out. After 9-10 days, sprouts (vitgrass) can be cut and used to squeeze juice or prepare healthy dishes - salads and soups.
Did you know? The use of wheat germ became popular in the 30s of the last century. This happened thanks to the agricultural chemist C. Schnabel, who began to give this product to chickens. He noted that they had a noticeable improvement in their state of health and an increase in egg production.
It is possible to grow wheat on a personal plot without problems. The main thing is to consciously approach the selection of a zoned plant variety, and strictly observe the agricultural technology of the described crop.